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The World Health Organization (WHO) fears a new spread of the infectious disease Mpox beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We are concerned that there will be international transmission,” WHO expert Rosamund Lewis said on Thursday (December 21) in Geneva. A “rapid” increase in the number of cases has already been seen in Congo, and there are now outbreaks in several countries in Asia.
Authorities in Kinshasa have already reported more than 13,000 suspected cases this year, more than twice as many as in previous years, Lewis said. More than 600 infected people died. What is particularly worrying is that, for the first time, more women than men are infected.
WHO sounded the alarm about the infection situation in Congo at the end of November and sent a group of experts to the Central African country.
Mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans from infected animals. The WHO renamed the disease, known for years as monkeypox, to prevent stigma.
Mpox viruses were originally spread mainly to rodents in West and Central Africa. Transmission from one person to another is also possible through close contact, for example during sexual intercourse. Mpox infections are usually much milder than smallpox, which has been eradicated for about 40 years. However, severe effects and rarely death can also occur. Typical symptoms of the disease include fever and pustules on the skin.
In May 2022, the disease began to spread outside of Africa, particularly in Europe. Most men who have sex with men have been affected. As with Corona, the WHO declared a health emergency of international concern, which ended in May 2023.
According to the WHO, as of May 2022, more than 92,000 cases of infection have been recorded in 117 countries around the world. Recently, the number of reported cases has risen again, from about 100 cases a month in June, July and August to now “more than 1,000 a month,” Lewis said. Outbreaks occur mainly in Asia, especially in Japan, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. Cambodia also reported its first case this week.
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2023-12-28 19:04:03
#Monkey #pox #spreading #Congo
